The Yankees have signed supplemental first-round pick Dante Bichette Jr., according to Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger. He receives a signing bonus of $750,000 and will join the GCL Yankees when their season begins Monday.
Bichette, 18, was selected 51st overall in this month’s First-Year Player Draft. The Yankees received the pick as compensation after Javier Vazquez signed with the Marlins during the offseason. It was their highest selection in the draft.
Highly regarded for his power potential from the right side of the plate, Baseball America ranked Bichette as the 108th best player in this year’s draft class. Though he was drafted as a third baseman, many expect he will eventually end up in the outfield.
You never know with a guy this young, but at least Bichette has the bloodlines in his favor. His father Dante had a .299 batting average, 1,906 hits and 274 home runs over 14 major league seasons between the Rockies, Angels, Red Sox, Brewers and Reds.